Broken Hearts will mend
by Jude Boi
Summary: After a harsh reaction from Sasuke after confessing her love, Sakura finds comfort in Kakashi sensei's arms... rating up to Teen for suggestive material in Chapter 2.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, how's ya'll doing? My name's Jude and this is my first fan fic. It's a Naruto one and I'd give the details but I think you'd like to read it first! I'm hoping to make more chapters for this one; we'll see! Ciao, and enjoy!

Broken hearts will mend

"I could never love you."

The words kept echoing in her ears.

"I could never love you."

Yes, the sting on her face couldn't compare to the sting on her heart…

Sweat ran down her brow, though it snowed all around. Tears ran down her face as Sakura kept running blindly into the woods surrounding the village. Her hands covered her now red eyes and tear stained cheeks. A huge red hand print marked her face.

Forward she ran, until she caught her ankle on a tree root. "Oof!" she gasped, hitting the ground, her wind knocked out of her. Her arms clamped round her gut. A deep sob welled in her chest; she didn't want to get up again. She didn't want to go back to the village. She didn't want to go back to the person who had betrayed her, betrayed her emotions, who had lied to her. She just wanted to lay here in the snow, the first winter snow, and freeze. The cold of the air was warm compared to those awful words…

("Stop kidding yourself!)

The words kept on returning…

(I never loved you, Sakura.)

Echoing…

(I could never love you.)

"Sasuke…" she sniffed. "Why?" Warm tears formed and fell, melting the fresh snow beneath her. She rolled to her side and pulled herself back up. Staggering, she leaned against a tree. This was all futile. Reality hit her again as she remembered…

(I could never love you.)

"Sasuke," she repeated, and kept repeating as she sagged back down to the ground. The memory took everything out of her. His cruel words…and then… a wave of sobs emerged from her as she hugged herself, each one bearing more bitter tears with it. And that singular name…

"Sasuke…Sasuke…Sasuke …I thought you loved me…stupid…stupid me… how could I believe that he cared?" Her side began to ache from the sobbing. Her heart had broken within her…

"Sakura…"

A soft voice came from behind. Sakura turned, unable to hide her now red eyes from anyone. Kakashi stood a distance away. In his hands he held a blanket.

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?" Sakura furiously rubbed her face to conceal her tearstains, but it was useless. Her red eyes gave her away.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, I-I…I'm fine, sensei." Sakura tried to pull herself to her feet, but her legs were too wobbly for such a task. She struggled, but ultimately collapsed. Kakashi lunged forward and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

Sakura fell into Kakashi's chest. She could no longer contain herself. A floodgate of heartbreak opened up right on Kakashi's vest. Kakashi knelt down and wrapped the blanket around Sakura. His arms reached around her and pulled her in close to him. Her body heaved underneath the blanket; bitter heart wrenching sobs eked out from her.

"I heard what happened."

"Huh?" Sakura sniffed. "What do you mean?"

"I heard…Sasuke was cruel…"

"Who told you? Who?"

"Word gets round, it's not important…"

"Who told you?" she shrieked, tears forming.

"…Naruto heard …"

"Naruto…figures…" Sakura became weepy again. "Stupid…"

"Naruto was just concerned…"

"Not him! Me…" Sakura's voice trailed off. Her hand's rested on Kakashi's strong shoulders and she sighed deeply.

"Stupid? Why?

"I should've…I should've been more perceptive...I shouldn't have angered him, even when I had the feeling…the feeling that he didn't love me."

"Sakura, what happened exactly?" Kakashi's voice was tender and calm. She wasn't sure why, but it gave her a warm sensation inside and she felt safe there. It confused her, but she so wanted to get it off her chest.

"I went to Sasuke. I wanted…tell him…" Sakura hesitated. "..I thought that I loved him. I went to tell him so. I wanted to be his. He seemed…he seemed to feel the same way. So I just told him. He looked at me, and told me, without a hint of feeling in his voice, that he didn't love me, that he never loved me. I tried to ask him why he led me on, I got angry, and then…" She stopped.

"Then what?" Kakashi's voice got more intense.

Sakura started to cry again. "He…he hit me! He slapped and told me that he "could never love me". He slapped me…he slapped me…" Sakura burst in to tears again and buried her head into Kakashi's chest. Her fists were balled and pounding on Kakashi's shoulders.

Kakashi pulled her close to him and told her,"Shhh, it's all right, don't cry. It's all right, don't worry. Everything's fine now. Sasuke isn't here, just me."

The whole woods around was quiet. The flurry of snow continued to fall as they remained, on their knees, Sakura locked in his arms. By now his vest was soaked with her tears. But Kakashi kept holding her, comforting her. He rubbed her back as she sobbed, shushing her and whispering in her ear.

Sakura began to get a strange feeling which Kakashi had not intended. She felt as if Sasuke had never mattered. Her heart started to pound until she felt like her chest would blow out of her chest. She could feel her chest tightening, Kakashi's slow steady breathing, and the rhythm of their alternating heartbeats. What was this feeling? Could she be…? 'Mmm,' she thought, 'His hands on my back feels so good…what am I thinking? He's Kakashi-sensei…that would be…wrong…' She closed her eyes and sighed.

Kakashi looked down on her. Sakura seemed to be a lot calmer. Almost relaxed. She sighed, her breathing deepening. "How are you feeling now, Sakura?"

"Hmm, better, sensei. Thanks a lot…Kakashi…sensei…" Sakura dropped off.

Kakashi smiled. Wrapping her in the blanket, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her back to the village…

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Sakura roused from a groggy sleep to see herself in her room, alone. She pulled the blanket she was covered in up around her and almost started to cry again. But she suddenly recognized the blanket. It was the one that Kakashi had brought to her when she was in the woods. When she had been sad and he had comforted her. And it was there in his arms, that something had been sparked, but she wasn't sure. It was curious, this new feeling towards Kakashi-sensei. She wanted to see him again, and she couldn't wait until that moment came.

Sakura lay back down and drifted off again…"Could I be in love with…" The last thing to pass through her mind before she slipped off into…

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"Just be kinder to Sakura." Kakashi said.

"I'm not sure what came over me…" Sasuke replied

"It's your lack of restraint! Control yourself!"

"Why are suddenly so defensive of Sakura?"

Kakashi said nothing.

"Well?"

"Just leave her alone…"

"I'll try…"

"Not good enough. Do it."

And then Kakashi went off into the night…

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Authors Note and Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own the rights to Naruto, obviously. That's VIZ's territory. Yes, Sasuke is a rat bastard in this and Sasuke fan girls will want me dead. But you know, he really is a cold bastard…

Well, I might make some sequels to this chapter. It depends the mood I'm in.

Till next time,

Jude


	2. Chapter 2

**Broken Hearts will mend Part II: **

Kakashi never asked for the blanket back. Sakura was too shy to return it, and it remained in her room. She kept it on her bed and always kept it wrapped closest to her body as she slept. The scent of Kakashi was embedded in it; she felt as if he was closer when it was around her shoulders.

A week passed after the incident with Sasuke. He treated her as he had always done before the incident, with minimal acknowledgement of her presence. He passed her on the street with a slight smile and a hello, nothing more. Sakura was confused by this, as the harshness of his response had given her the impression that he hated her.

But Sakura never pondered this much. Her mind was stuck on that one event that occurred in the snowy woods. When in a torrent of tears and sobs, Kakashi had held her, whispered such sweet things to her. When Kakashi had aroused such feelings in her heart, such feelings that she had never felt before. Feelings he never intended to inspire.

Oh, this new feeling…**

* * *

**

A journal lay in her room. She had picked it up in a small shop on a whim earlier, but originally had no intention of using it. In the past week, she had scribbled out love letters and silly little notes like a school girl who had a crush on the cute boy in her class. His name was scrawled in awkward tiny letters across the inside cover. She had only recently started on a portrait of him. Without question, her drawing was better then her handwriting. The very likeness of him was reflected; even in the gestural lines, his face…it could be seen in this rough form…

* * *

Being certain and being in love are two different things. Certainty is almost a guarantee; love is never that way.

Which is why Sakura never could feel confident enough to approach her teacher. How was she supposed to know if Kakashi would feel the same way? His emotions were usually so closely guarded; it was hard to tell what he really thought or how he felt at any given moment. So she could never tell by his actions.

Sakura sat in the tea house, thinking, mulling over her feelings. How fast they had changed…or maybe they had always been that way and she's never really known. She could've lied to herself all this time, and even smothered her feelings for Kakashi… just…it was so confusing…

She turned her attention to the diary in front of her. The page was filled with her tiny yet childish scrawl, constructing long and intimate details she would've otherwise hidden. Her pen scratched across the paper as her Bancha tea grew cold. Another love letter, another unsent love letter, which would never leave her diary. It was the fifth one that day. And they were words that never be read by anyone, save herself. 'It wasn't like I could send them to Kakashi-sensei,' she thought as the words flowed through her hand and to her paper. 'He'd never return my feelings.'

She sighed. "Even if he did feel the same," she whispered to herself, "it would be inappropriate for him to act on it. He is my teacher, and he'd never go against that." She continued the letter, with such beautiful words of a young child, no, a young woman, in love with a man whom she felt could never be hers. Social decency demanded it.

Sighing again, she continued to her letter. A soft voice from behind said, "Hello Sakura."

She froze, her hands covering the page. She turned her head and blushed at what she saw. Behind her stood Kakashi, shirtless and smiling. Though not exactly what would be called "ripped", she noticed he had well toned pecs and flat abs. He must've been training before he came, as his torso was glistening with perspiration. 'Such a soft, kind smile…,' Sakura thought, trying to keep her eyes off of his beautiful upper body. Her face flushed as she failed to do so.

"H-hello, Kakashi-sensei," she stuttered. "How are you doing?" "ugh, was that best I could come up with,' Sakura thought. Her brain raced as Kakashi sat down at the same table.

He wiped the sweat from his face and continued, "Hmm, Naruto has gotten faster, so much better then when he started out under me."

"Yeah, he's been training double for the longest time. He still thinks he can become Hokage." Sakura struggled to keep her face from going to fuchsia.

"So he's keeping busy. As I notice you've been, too." Kakashi smiled as he pointed at the journal in front of Sakura.

She looked down and then quickly shut it with a snap. "Oh that's nothing, nothing at all. Just a stupid diary, nothing important." 'He's gotta be suspicious now.' She thought, lowering her eyes so she wouldn't have to keep looking at Kakashi's unclad torso.

"It's a way to keep yourself occupied. As long as you're still keeping your skills from growing rusty, of course," he grinned and closed his eyes.

"Y-yeah, of course." Her face got evermore tinged red.

He stood up, so soon after stopping. "Well, I must get going. I just stopped to see how you were doing." Kakashi started to leave, but stopped and put a hand on her shoulder. Sakura's cheeks went from light pink to a near crimson.

"It's good to see you're doing well." His voice was ever so kind and gentle. "Take care. See you around, Sakura." He smashed her hand in her hair and mussed it up.

Sakura just sat there after Kakashi left. She stared at the cover of her journal. She couldn't move; she didn't want to. It was definite. She no longer had any doubt in her mind.

She loved Kakashi…She loved him more then she had ever 'loved' Sasuke…

"I love you…Kakashi-s…sama…Kakashi…chan…" A whisper, barely audible slipped from her lips.

She took a sip of her tea to calm herself. 'Ick, cold tea…'

* * *

Kakashi took the long way home. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. It would be at least another month before the next chapter of "Come Come Paradise" hit stores. Normally, this would've got to him. He loved "Come Come Paradise". But he found his mind preoccupied, constantly drifting to a certain young girl…no, young woman. It would be inappropriate to refer to her as if she were a child. Sakura was grown up now.

Why did she fill all his thoughts lately? He had actually been so distracted by her invasion of his innermost thoughts, that he nearly was outrun by Naruto during a foot race. Her face during the moment when she had collapsed against him was stuck in replay; Sakura had always seemed so strong before. But it was that singular slap…that singular moment…dealt by one she loved…it had broken her steel like shell that protected her emotions from the world around.

Her tears, her face, the red mark on her cheek, these images fueled a new feeling in him, a new desire he couldn't comprehend. He hadn't felt anything like this…ever before…it burned inside of him…

'Finally, home,' he thought as he reached for the door. He walked into the rat hole he called his home, granted a rat hole had more in it. He sighed at the empty room as he trudged to his bedroom.

"Another empty room," Kakashi sighed.

But he saw that it wasn't empty. From beneath the sheet, he saw young slender body. A pale back curved at the trunk, meeting with ample hips. Her side rose with each breath, a quiet, melancholy breath. Tresses of pink hair ran shoulder length and over her shoulders. Tossing over to her other side, Kakashi realized…

"Sakura?" His eyes shot wide open, his face grew hot and his knees weak.

Her eyes opened a little. A smile crossed her face as she arose, wrapping the sheet around her. "Mmm, Kakashi… please…" Standing in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, the sheet falling down. Kakashi's pulse quickened, nervousness set in on him.

"Sakura what are you doing?"

Sakura leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Take me, Kakashi-sama…"

* * *

"Yaah!" Kakashi flew forward. Cold sweat soaked his shirt and his heart raced like it would burst out of his chest.

He was in his house, sitting in his chair. The latest chapter of "Come Come Paradise" lay on his stomach. It was open to a very steamy scene in which the protagonist finds his love interest, laying in his bed, covered only in the sheet on the bed.

Kakashi got up and went into his bedroom, half expecting to see the naked chunin under the top sheet of his bed. He threw open the door and saw…

Nothing.

His bed was empty. Still the way it had been when he left it this morning, the sheet pulled up, the pillow fluffed and unused.

"That's it," he whispered to himself. "No more ramen after 10 pm."

* * *

Authors note: Yeah, this takes place about two years after the series. Kakashi isn't molesting her…it's called statutory…sorry, I know, I'm going to hell for this… ha ha…

My little sister (she's not really my sister, not by blood anyways) is gonna kill me for pairing up Kakashi and Sakura

Hope you enjoy this chapter. See ya in chapter three!

Jude


	3. Chapter 3

Time for more breaking of the student/teacher bond…heh heh heh …

DISCALIMER: I do not own or am licensed for Naruto. Viz on the other hand, those rat bastards do… I envy them so much…

**Broken Hearts will mend Part III**

A happy hum proceeded from her lips. Young people in love will do the rather childlike things when they are overwhelmed by this emotion of emotions. Mostly people ignore such things as natural occurrences. The humming, the absent mindedness, the general upbeat attitude that had taken over her was noticed by someone. Someone who found her cheeriness odd…and a little annoying...

* * *

Ino Yamanaka had only stopped in for her normal lunchtime oolong. She had no other real reason to go to tea shop at all. Casual and cool, she merely walked in, placed her order, paid and left with her tea. And she barely had time to step out of the way before a sprightly Sakura Haruno, paying no attention to what was before her, nearly knocked the oolong out of her hands. 

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" Sakura quickly apologized.

"What the…Sakura!" Ino sputtered. "You nearly spilled my tea! What is with you? You're so spacey! What the hell is with you?" Ino was not pleased to see her would-be rival for Sasuke's affection.

"Hey, I said I'm sorry!" Sakura growled at Ino. Fire seemed to dance between the two as they glared at each other.

"What are you so cheery about? I thought Sasuke rejected you." The blonde smirked evilly as she brought up that cruel event form eight days ago. She hoped it would wipe the cheerful grin off of Sakura's face. She was disappointed when it backfired.

"Like I care about that anymore," Sakura spit back without hesitation. "You can have that bastard for all I care! Keep him, if you like! I don't care!" The venom in her voice took Ino aback.

Sakura then blew past Ino with out saying another word. Such a fire was lit in that girl that Ino hadn't seen since she faced her in the chuunin exams a few years back. It was a bit scary, Ino thought. She stared after her as the pink haired girl stormed down the street.

Ino then noticed that Sakura had been carrying a journal with her, filled with loose leafs of paper, sticking out all over, ragged and worn. A sheet of paper fluttered out from the journal, down the dirty streets. Sakura raced on not having noticed.

Ino walked over and picked up the sheet. Turning it over she saw it was covered in Sakura's scrawl she dared call "penmanship". Ino could barely make it out, though she could read a few parts, including "your strong arms", "be with you", and "in my every dream and my every waking thought". The rest seemed like so much illegible scribbling. At the bottom she read the words, written large and probably the clearest words on the piece of paper, "Bound to you eternally, love, your Sakura".

'A love letter?' Ino thought. 'But if she's over Sasuke…then who is this for?'

* * *

Sakura slammed the door hard and slumped back against it. Her apartment was a sanctuary for her and her thoughts of her beloved Kakashi-sama. Clasped to her breast was her journal, the very same into which she poured her every passionate thought of Kakashi. So many unsent letters grew yellow in between its pages. 

Sakura felt exhausted. Not from physical strain, but more from a mental and emotional fatigue. She couldn't go on like this; she simply had to be with Kakashi-sama. Her heart ached with desire as she thought of him. Every time she thought of him, she was always there, locked in a torrid embrace. She would declare her love as such," I love you, Kakashi-sama! More than you know!"

And he would respond," I love you too, Sakura", his voice gentle and soothing.

Her arms would lock tighter round his strong torso; his would follow suit. "Never leave me, Kakashi, never!" She would bury her face into his chest as she cried "Never" over and over.

Eventually, Kakashi would lift her face up, and gaze oh so sweetly down at her. "I could never leave you, my little cherry blossom."

She would then reach up and pull down the mask that concealed his face. She gazed lovingly at his Sharingan eye and his smooth warm cheek. His jaw always was strong yet thin, his nose equally minute. Pale lips rested beneath said nose; yes, those lips which uttered such beautiful words only just earlier. His face was a chiseled bust, perfect and handsome to behold.

He would then lean down and kiss her softly on the lips. This would never be enough for her and she would force a far more powerful kiss back, a lover's kiss. Her hands would wrap round his solid neck; his would find their way to her cheeks, his fingers clasping down the tips of her shorn locks…

She shook her head, coming out of the day dream. 'It's only a fantasy,' she thought, 'something impossible. Something unreal.' She sighed as she lifted herself up from the floor and away from the door. Throwing the journal down on the table in the kitchenette, she started up water for some tea. Tea would relax her and make her for get all about...

A loud knock at her door grabbed her attention away from the teapot. Slowly, she went and answered it. She expected her mother, as per her ritual weekly visits to nag and be overbearing to the point where Sakura wanted to throw her out into the streets. Her favorite nagging topic was Sakura's lack of a boyfriend. "Why can't you find a nice young man? I want grandkids, you know." Sakura would in turn always argue that she wasn't even thinking of kids or settling down yet, to which her mother would counter, "If you don't want my help, then I won't give it." Of course, she would do it anyway, no matter how offended she acted.

Sakura answered the door. "Hello… Oh, it's you."

On the threshold of her door stood Kakashi. "It's you?" he said, rather amused. "You make me feel so special." His voice was rife with sarcasm.

"Oh no, that's not it, Kakashi-sama…I mean sensei! It's just, what are you doing here?" She coyly brushed her hair in such a manner as to hide the fact that her face had taken a rosy tint to it. She had never expected a visit from Kakashi.

"I was in the neighbor hood and decided to drop by and see how you were doing on this fine day." His smile, though covered by his mask, was evident.

"Oh, I'm just fine. Nothing really going on in my life. Just the same old same!" She laughed nervously. 'God,' she thought, 'I'm nervous with him just in my door way!'

"Well, that's great. It's good to see you rebounded so well, particularly after that…well…"

"Oh, that. I'm over Sasuke now." 'But now I'm fixated on you!' she screamed inside herself. "I'm doing just fine, what with my job and all."

"That's good to hear."

Suddenly something clicked inside her head. "Oh, that's right! Wait right here." Sakura rushed to her room and grabbed the blanket Kakashi had left with her. I was neatly folded on the end of the bed. 'Now I can finally give this back to him..." She took it back to Kakashi at the door.

"Here."

Kakashi looked at the blanket, then back at Sakura. "That's okay, I don't need it."

"But it's your blanket, the one you left here. Remember?"

"Oh, that thing? You can keep. I don't need it."

"But it's yours. I wouldn't feel right keeping it."

"It's okay; I really don't need it back…"

"Just take it!" she raised her voice and then fell deathly silent. Neither one made another sound.

"Sakura…"

"I'm sorry. Here." She pushed the blanket into his hands. "Take it, it's yours. Just take it back."

"No really, it's okay. Just keep it. I don't need…" He handed it back.

"Just take it back!" She forced it back. "I'm sorry. See you around, Kakashi." And with that she slammed the door shut. Kakashi stood dumbfounded in the outside Sakura's apartment for a bit, then lowered his head and turned away. Slowly, he trudged back to his own empty apartment.

Sakura, meanwhile, slowly walked over to the table in the kitchenette and sat down at it. She rested her head down on her folded arms and stared wide eyed at the tea kettle on the stove. Within seconds, she had slammed her eyes shut, tears pouring out of her eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably. Why? Why had she reacted that way to him? Why did she treat him so cruelly? She couldn't understand her actions toward him, toward her Kakashi-sama, the man she loved…

The tea kettle blew it's shrill whistle within minutes. But Sakura didn't even notice…

* * *

Kakashi slumped into his chair as soon as he got home. In his hands he still clutched the blanket. It was kind of thread bare and green with red stripes. Really rather ugly. 

He had been spoken to like that plenty of times before. So why did it hurt so much when she said those words to him? He clutched the blanket to his chest.

Such a dumb excuse. "I was in the neighborhood…" Right, this neighborhood was so far out of his way. Sakura's neighborhood was on the other side of the village. And even he knew she was capable of coping and getting over such emotional issues such as rejection. So then why had he appeared at her door? He would never have done anything like that for any of his other students. So why Sakura?

Could he be…?

"Nah, that's ridiculous…" he muttered. "Or is it, Kakashi?" came the little voice in the back of his mind. "Is that possibility so absurd to you?"

"Maybe," he responded. Maybe it is…"

"Or maybe it isn't…"

* * *

A/N: Mmhmm, so the plot thickens… or is it thinning like my grandpa's hair line? SO weird…Kakashi is confused, Sakura is angry with herself…WILL THIS END HAPPILY? OR WILL IT END IN A TRAGIC WAY LIKE A BAD SHAKESPEARE ROMANCE KNOCK OFF? OR WILL IT END…EVER?!? 

…what? Don't look at me, I don't know. I ahven't even gotten that far yet.

We shall see, my faithful readers… till the next chapter…I bid you all adieu..

Jude Boi, the magnanimously weird

**Afterthought:** I think the authors note makes me sound a bit pretentious… oh how I have fallen…boo hoo….


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